grits

American

[grits] / grɪts /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

Also called hominy grits. (especially in Southern cooking) coarsely ground hominy, or white corn, boiled to a thick consistency and then sometimes fried, eaten as a breakfast dish or as a side dish with meat.
grain hulled and coarsely ground.

grits British

/ ɡrɪts /

plural noun

hulled and coarsely ground grain
See hominy grits

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of grits

First recorded before 900; Middle English grut(t)a, gryttes (plural) “coarse meal, bran,” Old English gryt(t) “dust, meal”; cognate with German Grütze

Compare meaning

How does grits compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

hominy vs. grits

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The restaurants served up moderately priced country ham, pancakes, eggs and grits.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 25, 2025

He loves incorporating greens and, as a Southerner, grits.

From Salon • Feb. 22, 2025

Dig into tamale waffles, topped with shredded beef and two eggs or rich, cheesy shrimp and grits.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 1, 2024

He married those influences with a deep love for South Carolina Lowcountry cuisine like shrimp and grits, fried fish and hoppin’ John.

From New York Times • Mar. 8, 2024

Then she turned her eyes down the counter and saw Colonel Meecham stirring the grits that Hobie had insisted on heaping on his plate.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023